Doll Suggestions?

We have a friend on a serious (think "charging groceries to the credit card") budget. Unfortunately, this is a fall from grace for him and his children do not have any idea of the new circumstances. He's trying keep this from them so they won't worry about the situation (I personally don't agree with this, but they're not my kids). They're expecting the situation to change, but not any time soon. Not in the next few weeks anyway.

The daughter would like an American Girl doll, like her friends have, for her birthday. I've looked on ebay, and even there they are much too expensive. She doesn't have a doll, any doll, and asking for a "doll" doesn't seem unreasonable... but this particular doll isn't at all affordable.

Unlike more urban areas I don't have thrift shops or other places to look. Is there another brand of doll which might be substituted? Something in the 15" category which isn't so pricey? I went and looked at Teddy Bears and.. ok.. I don't have kids but WOW.. we're not talking cheap here!

It's been a few years since my dd was into dolls, but Target use to carry a line of dolls that looked almost exactly like American Dolls. Carried all the doodads that went with the dolls too, like clothes, horses, houses, beds, ect. I believe they were around $15 and less.

A few years back at Toy's R Us I got a Christmas Barbie in a Christmas gown with all of the trimmings. It was one with the big, fancy dress in the oversized box. Because it WAS right AFTER Christmas, it was marked down to $15 so I bought it for my Daughter's birthday.

If she had been any older she would have KNOWN that it was a Christmas doll that had been marked down, but she WASN'T older so she was much impressed!

same doll as from sunshinecrafts.com - and they are pretty darn good, and have the same markings (hair, eyes, etc) as American Girl dolls. I have Felicity and Kirsten fm American Girl that are my daughter's, and then have the native american and the red headed look alikes, not quite the same quality, but still nice and a child can play with them.

Dang it if I don't have to pooh-pooh another idea; please do not attempt to substitute another doll for the doll she has the wish for. It says, you are not worthy of the real thing, you are less then all the other little girls who get to have the doll, we think you are too stupid to know the different, we do not think you can handle the truth that we can not at this time afford the doll of your dreams.

Nope, didn't make me feel the least bit better, okay, PM this little girls address and I'll sent her the doll

I think I would get her a baby doll or Barbie rather than a "substitute" for the American Girl doll. I agree that a lessor version of the AG doll might make her feel bad and the other girls may make comments about it. If his goal is to shield the child from his financial problems a fake of what she wants is not going to do it. Better to get something different altogether, in my opinion.

Do you think a teddy bear would fly? Vermont Teddy Bear has these "make your own" bears... you pick the color, they help you stuff the bear, you get to tuck a heart into the bear, and they sew him up... I though (hoped) that a bear that Daddy went with her and helped her make would be "better?" maybe? possibly? am I nuts?

Do you think a teddy bear would fly? Vermont Teddy Bear has these "make your own" bears... you pick the color, they help you stuff the bear, you get to tuck a heart into the bear, and they sew him up... I though (hoped) that a bear that Daddy went with her and helped her make would be "better?" maybe? possibly? am I nuts?

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How much do they cost? I would think they would run close to the AG doll? Are there Build a Bear Workshops near you? The child picks the what kind of bear they want and then actually has a hand in building it and dressing it. I think they run about $30- $40.

The reason I suggested Barbie, above is because you can get one fairly cheap and yet they are still quite popular with kids and can be used for a lot of imaginative play. Holly Hobbie and Strawberry Shortcake are somewhat in vogue again too and are not terribly exspensive.

Oh my... you know, we are nice people here. But stop everyone. We can't make her birthday and we need to figure out what we're going to "do." Specifically what Dad wants to do. And I don't have a clue which doll she wants. Silly me... I thought it was "a doll." No, it is many dolls!

There's a reason the DH and I didn't have kids... how complicated is childhood nowadays?!?

Although looking them over, I'm leaning towards the enterprising "Kit" growing up during the Depression. Or is that a little too close to the truth?

Next weekend. Can you believe it, next weekend. I couldn't have found out about this 6 weeks ago...

I can't get a read on Kit... does she best the Great Depression by thrift and creativity which is more or less believable and perhaps even applicable to this situation? In other words, could Kit be used as a starting point for a serious conversation?